March 2025 Newsletter

The printable version is a slimmed down version of the online newsletter.  It does not contain links or images.

Those who attended the recent membership meeting / chili cook off enjoyed not only delicious choices on the chili table, but also an introduction by Jim Schaefer of an exciting project highlighting  the contributions of SWC in the local area. Jim has applied for a historic designation of THE FIRST ALPINE SKIING IN NEW YORK ON YANTAPUTCHABERG as a state and national site through the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Additionally, a proposal to obtain a historic marker highlighting the initiatives of Schenectady Wintersports Club in the 1930s in building alpine ski trails, racing, snow trains, ski patrol, rope tow and more. The top of the sign would also include our iconic SWC emblem. To make this sign a reality we have agreed to raise money, through donations, with a target of $1675.00. To facilitate collection of donations a catagory for “Yantaputchaberg sign”  has been added to the donations page on the website Home page. This is a wonderful way to create a permanent acknowledgement of the important contributions of SWC.

The lettering on the sign complies with the limited space guidelines.

1st ALPINE SKIING

SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB

BUILT SKI TRAILS HERE IN 1933 AND

GOT SNOW TRAINS TO NORTH CREEK

STARTING THE SKI INDUSTRY IN NY

SCHENECTADY WINTERSPORTS CLUB

My best to all,

Karen

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Is Your Membership Lapsed?

Years ago SWC mailed a paper newsletter to all Members at a significant cost which was included in the membership fee.  If your membership lapsed, the club stopped mailing you a newsletter.

Fast forward to today – the paper newsletter has been replaced by our website of information, events and offers, and an electronic newsletter.  There is still a cost associated with our website platform covered by your membership dues. 

Everyone receives a renewal email 30 days before the membership expires.  Your membership automatically becomes Lapsed if you do not renew and pay within 90 days.  SWC plans to review membership every quarter and archive Lapsed members.  

A Lapsed member cannot view Member Only pages, cannot book rooms at the clubhouse, and will not receive newsletters.

If your Lapsed membership is archived, it is very easy for you to become a member again.  The next time you log into the website, you will see your name at the top of the page with “Lapsed”.  Click on your name, and the renewal form opens for you to complete (example below).

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Helpful Information when Making a Reservation:

On Managing the Emails

On Last Minute Bookings

On Modifying or Canceling a Booking

On Extending Your Stay

On The Waitlist

On Door Codes

The User Guide

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Steamboat Springs
Mar 8 - 17
Steamboat Ski Resort, located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is renowned for its world-class skiing and genuine Western charm.  Known as "Ski Town, U.S.A.," Steamboat offers over 2,965 acres of diverse terrain, catering to all skill levels from beginners to seasoned experts.  The resort is famed for its "Champagne Powder," a unique, light, and fluffy snow that provides an exceptional skiing experience.

Beyond skiing and snowboarding, Steamboat boasts a variety of winter activities including night skiing, snowshoeing, and hot springs. The resort's vibrant après-ski scene, with its cozy lodges, bustling bars, and gourmet dining options, ensures a memorable experience both on and off the slopes. Steamboat's rich history, coupled with its friendly, laid-back atmosphere, makes it a beloved destination for families and adventure seekers alike.

St Patrick's Day Weekend
Mar 14 - Mar 16
St. Patrick's Day has always been a big celebration in Stowe. And you don't even have to be Irish!

SWC at ADK Expo
Mar 22 - 23
Saratoga Springs City Center
SWC will have two adjoining booth spaces at the ADK Summer Expo and we need your help.  One booth is dedicated to Northern New York Paddlers which always grabs attention with their paddle training machine and the adjoining booth focuses on Mohawk Valley Hiking and SWC membership.

This is a very well attended Expo and we need help with early Saturday set up, manning two hour shifts Saturday and Sunday, and with tear down on Sunday.  

This is a great way to meet the many SWC members who stop by as well as to greet prospective members and share the benefits of SWC membership.  So join the fun of sharing by emailing Don Streed at swsctreasurer123@gmail.com to choose your time for pitching in.

Sign up HERE

Spring Fling
Mar 28 - 30
Welcome in Spring Skiing as the season has changed. Break out the shorts, we are looking for popcorn on the hill and a BBQ at the lodge. Hope to see you there.

Last Hurrah and Raclette Party
Apr 11 - 13
Come enjoy the last hurrah of the snow and ski season. Outdoor activities are unpredictable in April due to weather. There's skiing and xc skiing if winter hangs on. You can paddle the reservoir or Lake Willoughby if summer comes early, or ride/hike on a lower elevation trail if we're in the throws of mud season. Maybe even some indoor rock climbing at Petra Cliffs if the weather is really awful and the group is feeling spunky.

Regardless of the weather, there'll be a happy hour with an opportunity to use a Swiss raclette machine to grill meats and vegetables and melt raclette cheese.

SWC April 2025 Meeting
April 25 5pm
Save the Date

Spring Work Weekend
May 1 - 4
Save the Date

Click here to register for any of these events

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ADK Sports
Summer Expo
March 22 & 23

Saratoga Springs City Center

SWC will have two adjoining booth spaces at the ADK Summer Expo and we need your help.  One booth is dedicated to Northern New York Paddlers which always grabs attention with their paddle training machine and the adjoining booth focuses on Mohawk Valley Hiking and SWC membership.

This is a very well attended Expo and we need help with early Saturday set up, manning two hour shifts Saturday and Sunday, and with tear down on Sunday.  

This is a great way to meet the many SWC members who stop by as well as to greet prospective members and share the benefits of SWC membership.  So join the fun of sharing by emailing Don Streed at swsctreasurer123@gmail.com to choose your time for pitching in.

Sign up HERE

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Cash Jones sent me stories of his adventures from the early days of the Clubhouse and before - BC, you might say, Before Clubhouse. His tales made me wonder. 

Were they a wild and raucous group — these engineers and their friends who transformed an old farmhouse into a ski house? Have their infectious passions infused our beloved lodge's walls, rooms, and air with intoxicating memories that we cannot help but breathe in? Will we unknowingly repeat the past in our stupors? Should we be concerned? Absolutely! Mostly, it’s all in good fun—but ya gotta be careful. For example, history tells us that riding back to the lodge from Stowe on a longboard skateboard is a ride unmatched by any carnival. That doesn't mean it’s a good idea. While we are at it, here are a few other things you should never do.  Remember: you can always make a last-minute reservation at the Clubhouse. 

1. After a long day of skiing, no matter how tempting it seems, never break into a deserted vacation home. But if you must, at least leave it in better shape than you found it—maybe fix some frozen pipes. And before you go, check every room. You don’t want to leave a lost soul behind. 

2. Never drink home-brewed White Lightning.  

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THE BREAK-IN

Once upon a time (when we were younger) we were able to ski places like Paradise off of the single chair at Mad River Glen.  This was our favorite destination, in spite of the lack of snowmaking and serious grooming.  As compleat skiers, we were driven to catch the first chair at the morning opening and the last one up before closing in the afternoon.   

Closing the bar was also requisite.

The highlight of one particular day was encountering an ice ledge halfway down in very low visibility due to fog.  Along with a few regulars who knew the terrain, I jumped between the tree trunks and disappeared into the mist.  My friend Don, who I was introducing to MRG, was intimidated by the steepness and poor visibility, so he took his skis off and climbed around the ice ledge.  By the end of the day we had him leaping over the ice too.

At the end of the day, we retired to the bar and consumed a few beers/bourbons.  Some of our group headed back home to the Clifton Park area, while others decided that fatigue and alcohol limited their driving ability.  Mary Kuykendall, Don and I headed down to Gallaghers, with me driving Mary’s Jeep.  I attributed the weaving on the road to the Jeep’s short wheelbase.  Gallaghers was our favorite nearby watering hole (that no longer exists).  Back in the day, Phish played there, and while the drummer would play an 8-10 minute Caravan solo that brought the house down, the rest of the band would take a break and leave the stage.  A favorite late night song chorus that got everyone screaming was “You’ve got to live for yourself and nobody else”.

Our plan for the night was to sleep at Dick Weber’s house in nearby Warren, VT.  Our assumption was that he had a key stashed where we could find it.  When this turned out to be wrong, Mary went to the local airport in the belief that they would have a key (Dick was a pilot).  Meanwhile Don and I worked at breaking in with minimum damage.  We succeeded in gaining access to the bedroom wing, but not the main house.  The bedroom wing was connected to the main house through a breezeway. When Mary returned from her unsuccessful mission, we decided that our least destructive option was to forcefully break in through the front door, which we did.

Inside we found no heat and no water.  After turning up the heat and starting a fire in the fireplace, we started troubleshooting the water problem.  We found a small utility closet that had a 100 watt light bulb to keep it warm, but the bulb had burned out.  We found a propane torch. Application of the propane torch to the copper pipes removed the ice from the frozen, but not yet broken water pipes.  While waiting for the house to warm up, we consumed some more beer and enjoyed the fire.  Eventually we retired and got up early enough to raid the kitchen for breakfast, repair the front door and go skiing somewhere (memory failure).  Don still notes that this was the first and last time that he passed out and woke up to begin drinking again three times in one evening.

The Epilogue to this story is that “the dog lived”.  Sometime after our departure, while plowing the driveway, the operator heard something in the bedroom wing of the house.  He found a dog! I continue to deny responsibility, but consensus is that the dog gained entry while we were studying our break-in options. 

NEVER DRINK HOME-BREWED WHITE LIGHTNING

Back in the day, when we were younger and less responsible, we did some arguably inappropriate things, at least as measured by today’s standards.

One such happening evolved from a veterans’ ski race at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire.  Memory is vague, but participants may have included Paul Lozier, Mary Kuykendall, Charley Barnes and myself.  After the race (results long forgotten), some free skiing and an adult beverage or two, we decided to drive to Stowe for inexpensive accommodations at the SWC lodge.  After a short time on the road, we determined that more liquid refreshments were needed, but unfortunately we did not have any beer in the car.  There were no open stores along our way, or perhaps none serving alcoholic beverages, so we became increasingly motivated to find a solution.

It turned out that Paul had a few bottles of his infamous “white lightning” in the car.  His homemade wine sometimes didn’t meet his exacting standards, and it would be distilled into something more powerful.  We proceeded to imbibe this liquid for the rest of the trip, arriving mid-evening at the SWC Lodge [Editor’s note: this was the lodge the club rented from Jerry on Goldbrick Road], alive and feeling no pain.

Upon entering the fireplace room, we were greeted by Lee Tomlinson, (and others) who asked who else was with us.  When told that there wasn’t anyone else, Lee declared that this was impossible because none of us was able to walk, much less drive.

This story is complete and unembellished, at least to my memory.

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This Season of Skiing

2024-25 ski season has turned into one that I remember from years past.  There are snow banks along the road up to Gore.  I mean real snow banks that one would have to climb over to get to the other side; not just step over.  That hasn’t happened in a while. The likes of Smugglers Notch and Jay Peak are reporting around 300” or more of snowfall for the season.  I would guess that this has been a boom for the ski areas.

For me, it all started with the opening day at Magic Mtn.  17” of snow from a storm just after Thanksgiving.  It had laid there for over a week without deteriorating.  It has been many years since skiing on natural snow at the beginning of December has happened.  My old legs struggle with it.  My technique was still in the summer slumber.  But I managed and had a grand time.  Magic has always been “magic” for me and I always seem to have a smile on my face when I leave there. 

Being retired should bring unlimited opportunities for ski days.  However, I am sure all who are retired find that certain parts of life take priority and it is no different for me.  To compensate for quantity, I try to go for quality.  There is an advantage to living close to a number of ski areas.  I can time my trips.  I can pick and choose the days I go to have the most fun conditions.  The only thing I need to know is what is going to happen with weather at the ski areas the day before and on the day of my planned adventure.

There is a saying now-a-days “there is an app for that” and I have 3 plus one web site.  Weather apps, that is.  The problem is, one is optimistic, another is pessimistic and the others are in there somewhere in between.  Ugh.  It is better than predictions by Tarot Cards, but not by much.  Not too long ago I watched the predictions of a storm to hit central VT (Magic country). There were predictions of everything from 17” of new snow to a day and a half of freezing rain.  More Ugh!

Another advantage to living not too far from ski areas is a thing called “take a chance”.  After all, all of the apps were sure of one thing - the storm was going to drop something.  This is why.

I have a Jeep and more than once I driven in the rain to a ski areas to find that a foot plus of snow had fallen.  Yup, the drive up to Magic was in freezing rain.  Yup, it turned to snow before I got to the mountain.  4” of fresh new snow and more coming down.  That then quickly turned to sleet.  All was not bad.  The sleet was dry and filled in tracks nicely for great skiing.

Then, more recently was a trip to Gore which the apps were pretty much in agreement on, rain when I left my house with the mountain getting about 2” of new snow and a bit on the warm side.  Agin I took a chance on the day.  The surprise was that the cloud hanging to the peak decide to dump another inch or 3 (depending on where) of new snow during the day, which spiced everything up nicely.

On another occasion I booked a room at our Club House for a couple of days in order to ski and visit with friends.  Even if Mother Nature hadn’t been kind, it still would have been enjoyable just to be with friends.  But she was kind.  She rewarded us with freshies every run for our day at Smugglers Notch and Stowe, the next day, shared in that kindness.

Old school skiing was on natural snow.  This season has been old school from the start.  Magic Mtn is a prime example with a number of their trails being natural snow trails and it takes a season like this one to make them skiable. This season I skied a trail call Magician which has been rarely open for a number of seasons in recent past because of how the snow has come and gone.  This season it was as good as I have ever remembered.

The idea of skiing is to “enjoy”.  Take a chance on a not so perfect day.  It may be perfect.  I certainly have “enjoyed” this season and hope you have too.  Until next season, take care and enjoy the rest of the year.

Jon Skalwold

Opening Day early December at Magic Mtn with 17” of natural snow

Surprise snowfall at Gore in Late February